the kindness of God...

‘the hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men and His compulsion is our liberation.’ C.S.Lewis

This is one of my favourite ever quotes. I am lost again in the wonder of grace. I spoke to a young guy the other who recently began a journey with Jesus. I was trying to encourage him that being a follower of Jesus will mean stumbling from time to time but that it is important to keep going in grace, that we have an advocate before the Father and that God knows our hearts. He asked me in an curious manner, ‘is there a limit to how many times you can get it wrong before God stops offering you forgiveness.’ He said it that honestly and innocently I found myself filling up. It completely disarmed me and with deep joy I felt so privileged to be able to reply ‘no, there is no limit….the mercies of God are new every day!!’

Grace is such a beautiful thing. I realise that our journey with God is all about growth, all about transformation from the inside-out. The parts of myself I don’t like that much, I have decided I am going to love more rather than fight. I think when I hold the parts of myself (I would rather were not there) before Jesus and His cross I find myself changing and become aware that it is God changing me and not myself. As opposed to fighting, rebuking and trying to beat myself into being better, I am going to fling myself once again on the kindness and mercy of God.